Fox President: Avatar on Neflix? "Not in my Lifetime"

On the question of the role Netflix plays in the movie distribution business, Dunn has mixed feelings. “They’ve made digital content acquisition ubiquitous by getting the service on so many different devices,” he says. “You can see content so many different ways. And then on the other hand, the value proposition is all you can eat….It’s a great place for TV content. For renting a movie, I would rather deliver it through Comcast video on demand or through a DVD to a high-def TV with a fat file.” Netflix, he says, is a great way to serve up “library content.” But not Avatar.

Comments

Such statements are never very wise as business models change and few people lead studios for more than five to ten years. Someday Dunn will be long gone but Hastings will probably always be involved with Netflix in some capacity. They can wait him out.

Hmmm... apparently Mike Dunn likes Avatar more than I do. Am I the only one that thought the best thing Avatar had going for it was the bright colors? Everything else, plot included, was mediocre at best.

The words of a man with tunnel vision and little forward thinking. Does he even realize how quickly in this business that the biggest blockbusters become "library content"? I'm betting in 5 years Avatar will be a budget title and Dunn will be working somewhere else...

I agree with those above, Avatar was overrated. In fact if it hadn't been in 3D it might have been a huge bomb. I remember when it came out arguing with people who thought not only that it was the best movie ever, but that it would change things so every movie would be in 3D from then on. Right.

It's no secret that all studios feel this way about allowing content to go to Netflix streaming. This is the whole reason Netflix started adding so much TV content in the first place (overpaid for it to). Because the studios are unwilling to allow anything other then outdated movies or re-run TV programs sure there are some newer ones but they are being weeded out as these contracts expire. Every studio out there is looking to rework contracts with Netflix now and maximize content deals as well as protect sell-thru which is the most important factor in all of this. I would even go as far as saying that the 28 day windows on the by mail disc at some point this year are going to be extended to 6 weeks.

i think he was talking about file size , that netflix doesnt use huge file size. i dont know how old he is but i dont see Avatar coming to netflix streaming for over a decade since its on HBO now then it heads to basic cable for 5 years then back to HBO.

The day Avatar came out, we (the UNIX SA team) went to see it as a company-sponsored activity. Win!

The problem was that the person responsible for ticketing had managed to get us into the 2D showing, and we didn't know that until we arrived at the theatre (the lack of glasses made it obvious).

When I left the movie, I called a friend and told him, IIRC, "if you don't have the money to buy a ticket to see Avatar, borrow it, get a paper route, or borrow it from the mob. And then go and burn it, so you can at least save yourself the two hours of hell that is watching Avatar."

"People will talk to people around the world with a telephone the day after never!"
"People will go to see movies the day after never!"
"People will go to see talking movies the day after never!"
"People will listen to the radio the day after never!"
"People will watch TV the day after never!"
"People will rent videocassettes the day after never!"
"People will own computers the day after never!"
"People will use email the day after never!"
"People will buy music over the Internet the day after never!"
"People will watch movies over the Internet the day after never!" and here we are.
Also, does Cameron have no say?

I also get a laugh at people who either scoff at big blockbusters being on Netflix streaming or people who complain more of them aren't on Netflix streaming. Most of the people who cared have already seen those movies in the theaters or own them. I'm not an "Avatar" basher or booster but to sit through a visual effects bonanza like that again, I'd rather watch it in DVD clarity than the best streaming quality.

I thought 3D Avatar was visually quite stunning. Maybe the story wasn't the best ever written, but certainly far from the worst either.

I assume the point he is making is that NF doesn't have the resources to deliver Avatar they way it was intended: 3D, 5.1/7.1 sound and Blu Ray quality. But that's true for all streaming content currently. To say it will never happen is foolish. Who knows what infrastructure and deals NF may come up with in the future. I think Hastings wants to make NF a dominant entertainment destination. Heck he's already part way there.

So Johnson/BP108/Jolly... What do you suggest we do for inexpensive entertainment seeing as Netflix will be out of business in the not too distant future? I mean it is obvious that myself and 23 million other subscribers have been duped by Netflix into watching inferior content that they seem to have overpaid for, so they can charge us not enough for, and that we are stupid for enjoying so much.

You sound an awful lot like that Micheal Pachter guy in the Bloomberg "game changers" Topic. I wonder if he saw the irony in the fact that as a Netflix analyst he has been wrong for 10 years!

On topic... I got the DVD 28 days after it released from NETFLIX! You might not be able to stream it... but for a few bucks more a month, Avatar and every other movie known to man can be obtained from NETFLIX.

I was able to rent new releases through Netflix and have them mailed to me for $17.99 a month. Now they don't have to mail them.
There needs to be some sort of rationing because the process of mailing did it for them, but there is no reason a system can't be developed that even raises their profits.

I think its just a case that the big companies still want us to spend a fortune on buying physical discs and some haven't cottoned onto the idea that we will use streaming like we used to use discs. it's the future, i do however think that i can easily see companies sending things to netflix once its gone past the point people will pay to watch it, its extra revenue for the companies but at its a shame some like FOX are still wary of it..

"On topic... I got the DVD 28 days after it released from NETFLIX! You might not be able to stream it... but for a few bucks more a month, Avatar and every other movie known to man can be obtained from NETFLIX."

@Lonny

Let's not exaggerate, especially since there are a great many films no longer available on Netflix, even if they are replaceable.

@ClydesMP, Ok maybe not every movie ever made is still available on Netflix, but I am sure they have more titles available than anyone else has. I would also go as far as guessing that you are far more likely to find that rare, obscure, long forgotten title that nobody but you cares about, on Netflix than you will anywhere else. You might have an argument if Avatar wasn't available in either DVD or Blu Ray.